Kevin Magnussen has praised the decision by Haas to hire an ex-Bridgestone tyre engineer over the winter, attributing their recent success in 2018 to the decision. Haas is currently challenging Renault for fourth in the constructor standings.
Magnussen told Autosport that the hiring of Hiroshi Tomitsuka has been vital in helping the team adapt and understand the tyres in 2018, with so much depending on the drivers' ability to fire-up and then maintain the tyre life.
"Obviously we have a better car this year, that's more consistent, and the aero is stronger in terms of consistency as well, but I think one of the biggest factors is the tyre guy we got.
"Tomi-san is a really big addition to the team. The understanding of tyres and just managing that is a lot better this year, which is also adding to the consistency - more so than the outright pace.
"(The) Pirelli is a very complicated tyre, it's a difficult tyre to manage - not only from a driving point of view, but also in terms of setting the car up with temperatures in the rims, managing the race, and strategy-wise, switching the tyres on with the driving style on the out laps.
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"There's a lot of science - you need someone with experience of tyres to try and understand the Pirellis, because it's not that easy to understand.
"It's certainly a massive advantage having someone to help you. With his experience with other tyre manufacturers it's easier to try and understand, you get there quicker.
"Every weekend it's a new Tarmac, it's different temperatures, it's different tyre compounds, different set-up on the car, so having someone there with great experience who just has the kind of eye for tyres is a great help."
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Belgian Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 17.07.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
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03:00 PM
Saturday 18.07.26
Practice 3
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Sunday 19.07.26
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Friday 17.07.26
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Fri 11:30 AM
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Saturday 18.07.26
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 179 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 154 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 147 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 108 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 97 | |
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